Unhappy Week

Yeah. It was bad.

I really considered whether things are still worth the frustration and bad feelings. Up to now, I’ve always said “yes” without hesitation. Now, I’m not so sure.

One thing that came out if it, was a clear indication and understanding of where I stand. It’s not in a good place. I don’t like it. However, there is nothing I can do about it. I can’t change people. I can only change myself and the way I think.

I take comfort in the support of friends and those who know and understand old ships (you know who you are). That support is precious and I thank you. It’s kept me from walking away.

Anyway…enough doom and gloom.

A mishmash of things today.

Another rivet bit to add to the collection:

It’s not a recent occurrence, as it was in a pile of debris. (Wow, odd angle, my hand looks stunted.)

The frame where it probably popped off from:

NEWS! It’s noted on the Friends of Falls of Clyde website, so I can finally say something here. Dry dock is happening soon. Yes. That’s the plan anyway. Nothing is firm yet.

With that in mind, there are things to do.

One of my projects is seeing that the pumping system is in order and completed. It works as it is now, but we still need to extend the line to the two #1 tanks and the pump room.

I took an inventory of what we have on hand:

Paul arrived at the ship and said something that made me laugh. Laughs have been in short supply lately, so that was quite nice. Discussion, a walk through the ship, and he was on his way.

I finished the small project that I was working on, which was to replace the stretched-out bungee/”Posted – No Trespassing” sign combo:

Purely cosmetic, but I do take pride in making the ship as presentable as possible given the circumstances.

I actually nodded off for a bit in my chair on the ship. After that, I didn’t feel like doing anything else. Time to go.

Mokihana was leaving, so I went to the end of the pier to watch.

Saw something curious stuck to the wall (next to a nice healthy wana):

A bit of Googling…Nudibranch eggs? That would be cool. I like nudibranchs.

Grace:

Grace and steel:

For a change, I decided to head over to Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park.

Lots of ‘a‘ama, popular rock:

Olivine basalt:

A marbled blenny, I think?

I like blennies too.

A series of photos from a different perspective (see Making a Day of It for the view from the pilot boat)…

Mokihana in the distance, on the way to California:

Honolulu headed out to Maui:

Maui in the distance:

Maui in the Honolulu Harbor channel:

Maui in the harbor:

Boat of the day, Noho Loa:

***

“On a sailing ship to nowhere, leaving any place.
If the summer change to winter, yours is no disgrace.”

Chafing Gear and Rat Guard Obsession

It may seem like I’m obsessed with chafing gear and rat guards. I’m not. Really. Well…maybe with rat guards. Other people seem to be interested in them as well, as I do get a number of “rat guard” hits from search engines.

Regarding the chafing gear, I consider it research. It’s interesting to see what solutions other people come up with.

Anyway, enough chatter. Here are a bunch of pics!

American Tern after turning:

At the beginning of the past week, the Shinyo Maru was at Pier 9.

Chafing gear:

I wonder how long that takes to do?

While I was there, a group of local high school students (I believe) were paying a visit to the ship. The cadets put on a karate and taiko demonstration.

Local students and cadets mingle on the pier:

Matsonia, containers / RO-RO:

Research ship, Hakurei Maru No. 2:

Rat guard:

Rope mat on the ship:

I was originally going to make something like the above to solve the chafing problem on FOC. However, I was feeling lazy and I was inspired by some of the examples I have been taking photos of.

The result:

It still needs a little more work, but I hope to have it in place next weekend. Will it work? Stay tuned.

The Hakurei Maru No. 2 has the most unusual chafing gear I’ve seen so far. Wood!

Last, but not least, my needle case:

Bamboo Needle Case Progress

Section of bamboo with six coats of le Tonkinois next to another section that has not been sanded or coated.

If I have time this weekend, I’ll probably finish it off with a couple of Turk’s heads.

So Much for Taking it Easy

I hadn’t planned on doing anything strenuous on the ship today, because I told myself I should take a mental and physical break. I wanted to apply another coat of le Tonkinois to my piece of bamboo and work on a few more whippings. Pretty easy.

I got the coat of le Tonkinois done first.

You can’t see the shine in the photo, but there are two coats on there.

I deviated from my plan after that.

Dirt has built up along the waterway/scupper areas, which is not a good thing. I was sweeping on the port side of the ship until, for some reason, I got it in my head to do some rust busting.

Chipping hammer and wire brush in hand, I went to work.* It was satisfying knocking the rust off the hull. (It’s a good way to release anger and frustration.) However, cleaning up after creating a mess of rust and paint chips is tedious. 😦

I tried out a rust conversion product sample that was given to us by a very kind local distributor of the product. I had read about it on the manufacturer’s website and thought it would be good for use on the ship by volunteers. It is easy to apply and washes up with soap and water.

The hull from a different angle showing the effects of the rust converter (treated area turns black).

*ETA. It did occur to me that it was like a crude form of surgery…much like removing diseased/dead flesh off a patient.

Learning a Lot

I wish I had a younger, sponge-like brain.

I spent most of the morning walking through the ship with a naval architect, who has volunteered to help us. As we went along, he passed along a lot of information. While it is probably basic stuff to seasoned mariners, it was a staggering amount for a newbie like me. I tried taking notes at first, but soon gave up.

The highlight of the day was getting a chance to look around the pump room. While I have been down there a couple of times in the past, it was always for specific purposes and rather brief. Watching the video that Chris and Micah filmed when they did the survey was enlightening, but nothing like studying the area in person and being able to ask questions about specific things.

***

If you were anywhere near the harbor today, you could not miss the sea-going launch platform Odyssey. She towered over everything!

I like this shot. The clouds make the vessel look a bit ominous…like some gigantic mechanical creature from another world.

***

On a much smaller scale, I sanded my piece of bamboo. I will probably try coating it with le Tonkinois.

New Projects

In addition to doing more whippings (yeah, we have a lot of untidy lines), I have a few new things to do.

As you can see, the mooring line is rubbing on the hull.

I’m going to try to make a rope mat to protect the area. I should probably do a practice piece before working on the real thing.

A friend of mine found a manageable length of dry bamboo near her house (it’s great living in an area that has bamboo forests). I cut it into sections with a Japanese saw.

If things go as planned, it should make a nice, compact needle case.

It’s Finally Done!

It’s not perfect, but it serves its purpose. Used it on the ship!

New Grommets!

The grommets, that I made quite a while ago for my bag project, died unpleasant deaths at the bottom of my tool bag. I just made a few more out of tarred seine twine. I promise I’ll take better care of them!